Fawnskin resident Sandy Steers stands Thursday, Oct. 3, near land where a developer wants to build 50 houses with a private marina. The property is a popular spot for bald eagles to perch and forage and she worries about effects on the birds. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

The group behind the popular Big Bear Bald Eagle Nest Cam is calling for the rejection of a local developer’s plan to build houses on a property where bald eagles perch and forage.

Friends of Big Bear Valley, a non-profit group that’s run the live web cam since 2015, contends the proposed Moon Camp project, which would have 50 homes and a marina with spaces for 55 boats in Fawnskin would infringe on the eagles’ already shrinking habitat. And that could force them out of the valley. Members also worry that an increase in human activity and noise could cause the eagles to abandon their nest near the lower Grays Peak Trail.

But the developer says the impact on the eagles would be limited because lakefront homes are no longer part of the plan and the shoreline will be closed to people during much of the nesting season. There also is a state-mandated plan to monitor wildlife — including bald eagles and rare plants — on the property.

The Friends is encouraging residents to send letters to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors before it considers the project Tuesday, Oct. 8.

“Every time we cut out another (foraging area) it makes it harder for them to find food,” Sandy Steers, Friends of Big Bear Valley’s executive director said. “This one is so close to the nest. It’s very easy for (the eagles) to get to where they’re feeding chicks.”

Steers said the nest is about half a mile from the property; the developer says it’s 1 mile away.

The 62-acre property is on the lake’s north shore, where eagles can be seen perched on trees overlooking the lake to get a better view of their prey. The water in that part of the lake is shallow enough for eagles to hunt fish and water fowl, making it a popular foraging ground.

While no longer endangered, bald eagles are fully protected under state law. Numbers are on the rise, but more monitoring is needed for better population estimates, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website. The breeding season for eagles in most of the state lasts from about January through July or August, with the winter months being the most popular time to see them, the website states.

Eagles are known to winter in the valley, but there is currently one known pair of eagles nesting in the area — Jackie and Shadow — who had two chicks earlier this year. Web cam viewers watched Jackie lay eggs and care for her eaglets for the past two seasons. They’ve also seen the loss of two of her chicks, BBB and Cookie, who died in 2017 and 2018, respectively, after severe weather. The area around the nest is generally off-limits to the public until the chicks learn to fly.

Most eagles can adapt to human activity near their nests, but it’s unknown how this pair would respond, said Peter Bloom, zoologist and chief executive of Bloom Biological Inc., which has assisted in monitoring the Big Bear eagles.

If the water fowl and fish on which the eagles feed are no longer available because the boats in the project’s proposed marina are in the way, there’s too many people near the shore or perch trees are removed, Bloom said he expects the eagles would use the area less.

“What we need to do here is figure out just how much time the eagles spend hunting from the proposed marina vicinity relative to where they hunt for the rest of the day,” Bloom said. “If, for example, they’re 100% in the vicinity of the marina then development of a marina will likely exclude the bald eagle from Big Bear Lake.”

Michael Perry, Moon Camp’s project manager, said he and others behind the project are longtime Big Bear Valley residents and take protection of the eagles seriously.

“They are an asset to our valley,” Perry said. “We do not want to disrupt them.”

The project has been reduced by removing lakefront homes from the plan, he said. Also, the lakefront will be closed from December through April, during much of nesting season and when other eagles visit. The project would not cause eagles to abandon their nest, which is about 1 mile away, Perry said.

The developer contends the project would add $3 million in community benefits, including a new water well, water system and traffic improvements, upgraded fire flow and new fire hydrants. About 9 acres on the property would be preserved for bald eagles and rare plants, such as the ashy-gray Indian paintbrush, plus an additional 10 acres for rare plants off site.

The developer is required by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to create a long-term plan for managing wildlife on the property, Perry said.

They’re also prohibited from removing the “most suitable” perch trees from the property, said Terri Rahhal, San Bernardino County’s director of land-use services.

Experts have evaluated the trees on the property and made recommendations for the best perch trees, Rahhal said.

Original plans called for 92 houses, including 31 residential lakefront lots and realignment of North Shore Drive, or Highway 38. The project stalled because of opposition, a county report said. In 2010, the developer changed the plan to drop the number of houses from 92 to 50, increase lot sizes from 7,200 square feet to 20,000 square feet, eliminate lakefront lots and realign the road. The lots would be sold individually and developed into custom homes and a private marina with space for 50 boats, the report stated.

The proposed houses would be in a gated community north of Highway 38. Residents would have a marina parking lot and neighborhood lake access.

“We took our time and wanted to do it right,” Perry said. “We feel at this point that we have done it right.”

Still, Steers worries about the project’s impact on the water supply, fire danger and emergency evacuation from the area. Most of all, she’s worried the project may drive the eagles away.

“I’m sure they’ll survive somewhere else, but we’ll lose,” Steers said. “People have come to the valley just to see the eagles and they’ve been impressed with how we have eagles here.”

IF YOU GO

What: The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors will consider the Moon Camp project near Big Bear Lake.

When: 10 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8

Where: Covington Chambers, on the San Bernardino County Government Center’s first floor, 385 N. Arrowhead Ave., San Bernardino

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